Chicago Cubs Minor League Report, April 17–18

Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 17–18)

• Triple-A Iowa Cubs
  Series vs. St. Paul Saints: Tied 2–2
  Season Record: 10–7

• Double-A Tennessee Smokies
  Series vs. Chattanooga Lookouts: Lookouts lead 3–1
  Season Record: 5–6

• High-A South Bend Cubs
  Series vs. West Michigan Whitecaps: Whitecaps lead 4–0
  Season Record: 4–9

• Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
  Series vs. Augusta Green Jackets: Tied 2–2
  Season Record: 6–7

Triple-A Iowa Cubs

Season Record: 10–7
Series Opponent: St. Paul Saints (7–9)
Series Standing: Tied 2–2

April 17: Chase Strumpf's eighth-inning grand slam helped the Iowa Cubs pull away from the St. Paul Saints and claim a 6-2 victory. Keegan Thompson got the start for the I-Cubs, allowing one run, unearned, on just one hit over 3 1/3 innings of work to go along with three strikeouts and no walks. Tom Cosgrove picked up the win in relief, turning in 1 2/3 scoreless frames, also picking up three strikeouts. Gavin Holloway had a stellar outing out of the bullpen, whiffing five of the six batters he faced in two perfect frames of work. I-Cubs arms racked up a total of 14 strikeouts in the ballgame.

Along with Strumpf's grand slam, Greg Allen (2-for-3) went yard, launching a two-run shot in the fourth that gave Iowa a 2-1 lead. Ben Cowles (3-for-3) also tallied a multi-hit effort and collected a season-high three hits. Eight of the 10 I-Cubs batters that stepped up to the plate recorded a hit.

April 18: The Iowa Cubs let a 5-1 lead slip and ultimately fell to the St. Paul Saints 11-6. Moisés Ballesteros (2-for-4) and Kevin Alcántara (2-for-5) paced the offense, with Christian Franklin slugging his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the first.  Connor Noland (2-1) took the loss in the start, allowing six runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. Despite the rough outing, Noland still fired a season-high seven strikeouts and did not issue a walk.

Double-A Tennessee Smokies

Season Record: 5–6
Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts
Series Standing: Lookouts lead 3–1

April 17: The Knoxville Smokies took a 4-0 lead in the second on a solo home run from Pablo Aliendo (1-for-4) and a three-run double from Pedro Ramirez, but the Chattanooga Lookouts scored five times in the fourth and would go on to hand the Smokies a 5-4 defeat. Wil Jensen, Mitchell Tyranski and Zac Leigh combined to toss 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just three hits while punching out six.

April 18: The Knoxville Smokies were handed a third-straight loss, falling 3-1 to the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Smokies offense could only muster four hits in the ballgame, with two going for extra bases. Pablo Aliendo (1-for-4) homered for the second-straight game, delivering the Smokies only run of the contest. Right-handers Cayne Ueckert and A.J. Puckett each worked 1.0 scoreless innings in relief.

High-A South Bend Cubs

Season Record: 4–9
Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps
Series Standing: Whitecaps lead 4–0

April 17: The South Bend Cubs fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps 2-1 for the second time in the last three games. The Cubs were held to just three hits offensively, with none of those hits going for extra bases. Cristian Hernandez (0-for-4) was held hitless for just the second time this season. Jaxon Wiggins took the no-decision in the start, allowing one run on two hits over five innings of work, posting seven strikeouts. Chase Watkins (0-1) was handed the loss despite also allowing one run over three innings.

April 18: The South Bend Cubs were handed a sixth-straight loss with a 6-4 defeat to the West Michigan Whitecaps. Carter Trice (1-for-3) and Andy Garriola (2-for-4) each crushed two-run blasts in the first to put the Cubs ahead 4-0. The recently activated Jefferson Rojas went 2-for-4 with a run, posting his first multi-hit game of the season. Right-hander Nick Dean took the no-decision in his start, picking up six strikeouts over five innings of two-run ball. Dean has tallied 12 strikeouts compared to just two walks in his first nine innings of the season, spanning two starts.

Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Season Record: 4–7
Series Opponent: Augusta Green Jackets
Series Standing: Tied 2–2

April 17: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans broke a 6-6 tie in the eighth with a five-run frame to earn an 11-6 victory over the Augusta Green Jackets, snapping a four-game losing skid. Leonel Espinoza had a monster night at the plate, going 5-for-5 with three runs scored, a home run and three RBI. Cole Mathis also had a big game, going 2-for-5 with two runs, two home runs and five RBI. Right-hander Brayden Spears helped close the contest by tossing two scoreless innings, striking out two.

April 18: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans evened up the series with the Augusta Green Jackets with a 2-0 shutout win. Cameron Sisneros' (1-for-3) solo blast in the second gave the Pelicans the lead and Cole Mathis (1-for-3) doubled the advantage with an RBI-double in the fourth. Left-hander Evan Aschenbeck (1-0) earned his first win of the season by blanking the Green Jackets over 5 1/3 innings, striking out three. Mathew Peters (2/3 IP), Christian Gordon (2.0 IP) and Brayden Risedorph (1.0 IP) combined to help deliver the Pelicans' first shutout of the season.

Interested in learning more about the Chicago Cubs' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!